Killing Her Softly
by thetideisrising
Summary: After years of searching for a way to come back to him, Rose has finally made it to her original universe. But this comes with a cost. With a danger even greater than Cybermen and Daleks, it'll be a miracle if she can survive the horrors. ten/rose (Multi-chap)
1. Chapter 1

It was dark at Torchwood. She had stayed later than normal that evening, the evening everything changed.

Rose Tyler always knew that she couldn't quite shake The Doctor. Her last couple of weeks proved that.

Ever since she was left on that horrid beach, she had been looking for a way back. Sacrificing everything to her time at Torchwood, including sleep. Her mum had warned that the pink and yellow human that she once had been was slipping rapidly away, and that she was turning into something darker. Monster. Murderer. Valiant Child. Bad Wolf. _Thantos Woman. _Her newest title had come into effect after Gallifrey.

On her many travels to get back to him, she had once arrived only weeks before the time war. The Time Lords were _nothing _like him. They detained the visitor for days, and after various tests dubbed her not a threat to their people. But they were so wrong. Accompanying a peace organization on a trip to The Rings of Akhaten, their vessel ran into a ship of Daleks. She was the first to fire a shot, causing the Daleks to declare war, causing billions of creatures to die. _Thantos Woman. _

Her entire career she had been referred as Thantos Queen, Thantos Woman. She had never known why, until that bloody day. Feeling responsible, she stayed and watched the destruction her rash actions had caused. She was there at the Fall of Arcadia, and she watched the entire planet burn, millions of children crying out for help that would never come. Her eyes had become darker, holding a burden that she associated with as around the weight that her beloved Time Lord carried.

Returning back to Pete's World, "General Tyler's" ever-present frown became just a little bit more troubling. None of her collogues had ever seen her lips curl upward in a smile. Since the day on the beach, her family had not seen her smile either. The office that she basically lived in was empty, looking exactly like it had the day she moved in, except for one frame on her desk. The picture depicted two people, a man with a woman situating her arms around his back. The man was wearing a dark blue robe, a pair of jim-jams underneath, his dark hair lifted upwards, and grinning a maniac grin. The woman was a mirror image of the general, her blonde hair falling just below her shoulders, wearing a gray sweatshirt and a light pair of jeans. The most shocking was that she was actually, properly, _smiling. _

Of course, the general never spoke a word about it, and the couple people who did know the truth kept their mouths shut. No one wanted an angry Thantos Woman. But still the gossip and rumors flew with each new generation that passed through those wretched doors. Many assumed that he was an alien, and that his spaceship had tragically crashed. Others argued that they were together when the Cybermen invaded 437 years previously, and that he was turned into one of them.

Obviously, the general's mysterious lover was not the only focus on the rumors. Had there not have been any records that Pete Tyler was her father, many would of considered her alien, but she was born a human. She may have been 457 years old, but she held the appearance of a twenty year old. Many of the veterans had dropped the cause, she may be impossible, but she was a hell of a leader, and Torchwood was lucky to have her nonetheless.

Sitting at her desk at an ungodly hour, none of these thoughts crossed her busy mind. The only thing haunting her was the program she had established almost four hundred years previously. With intentions to track her lover, the device had barely done anything to be proud of. Still she watched it every spare second she had, just incase the device miraculously found a signal through the none-existent cracks. She didn't necessarily believe in miracles. She had lived to long for faith or anything of that sort. The pain that she had felt was much more than anything, god or not could take away. The one thing she did believe in, even after all this time, she believed in him.

Absentmindedly sipping her coffee, she read a book, something that she had not done in a very long time. The book was considered a classic, but that didn't bother her. She had always wanted to read _Girl With A Pearl Earring. _No matter how different their situations were, she found herself in Greit. She almost forgot where she was.

She almost missed the dark skinned girl's face show up on the screen. She dropped her book, the collector's edition dropping to the ground with a very audible thud.

"Who the hell are you?" the girl cried.

Rose blinked, before sitting up her posture becoming the rigid one she had developed over the years. She didn't want to get her hopes up, but she could feel the butterflies she had long ago buried begin to resurface. Sipping her coffee to stop them from surfacing she spoke. _"Who are you."_

The girl on the opposite side of the screen stared, and Rose could tell that she was trying to act very brave, when she was feeling quite the opposite emotion.

"How do I know that I can trust you?" she asked.

Rose had to give it to her, she was good. When she saw the backdrop that was behind the girl, her heart skipped a beat. It was the console room, with a new found confidence, Rose continued the conversation. "You're in the TARDIS."

The girl's eyes widened. "My name is Martha, Martha Jones," she said hesitantly. "I'm a companion of The Doctor."

So he _had _replaced her. Instead of finding the jealousy that she expected to course through her veins, she felt relief. It was good that he had found a hand to hold, even if it wasn't hers. He needed that.

"My name is General Tyler," she replied. "I'm an old friend of The Doctor's. Is he there?" She felt hope rise in her chest, and all but crushed it with her mind. She would not allow herself to get her hopes up.

"No, actually," Martha said quietly. "About The Doctor, well I need help."

Without letting the emotions she felt betray her voice or façade, she carefully asked, "What's wrong with him? Is he okay?"

Martha nodded. "He just had to… hide, yes hide, from these creatures. They call themselves The Family. So he turned himself human using this device, I think he called it the Chameleon Circuit. He can't remember anything."

Rose smirked, she wasn't surprised by the Time Lord's antics. Though she was having a hard time imagining him as a human. Hopefully he hadn't binged on bananas. She almost cracked a smile at that comment. "Has he left any sort of instructions?" She rolled her eyes internally, thinking of The Game Station. "He normally does."

"Yes," Martha replied. She frowned, her eyebrows wrinkling in concentration. "It's just that he never gave instructions for this circumstance."

Rose's interest piqued as Martha admitted it. "Really? I wonder why? Honestly, with his "Superior Time Lord Biology" you would think…" She trailed off as she figured it out, and a ghost of a smile appeared on her lips, the first she had smiled in a long time. "Tell me Martha Jones, is she blond?"

Rose properly smiled, the first proper smile since the day on the beach. Speaking of that beach… she opened a new window on her laptop, she was in need of a plane ticket. The rest of the night, though it wasn't very long was spent recruiting a team to accompany her on her journey. Though she was to be the only person crossing realities, she needed a team to open the bloody crack, and even though she hated all the attention that was constantly place on her, she needed _someone _to record it, just incase this version of the place that destroyed her life needed to hop dimensions for some ungodly reason.

Sighing, she reached across her desk to the white phone, typing in a number that she constantly called. As it rung, she twisted a strand of hair around her ring finger, rolling her eyes out of annoyance. Finally, someone answered.

"Hullo," a woman's voice called.

Rose smirked. "Amy, it's Rory's Aunt Rose, can the two of you get over to Torchwood Tower as soon as possible? Thanks!" She didn't even let her respond.

Being as old as she was, her nuclear family had died quite a while ago, and even if she didn't want to, she decided to keep a close relationship with her late brother's descendents. Rory was the last one, his parents and sister had died when he was a little over twenty-one. He married a fellow classmate of his, Amy, a really sweet and brilliant girl. She may not have found her own happiness yet, but she was happy for the two of them. Besides, the Tyler legacy would live on, Amy was pregnant with twins.

Rose let herself smile when the husband and wife walked through her door. She went as far to embrace both of them, something she had not done since their wedding. Rory saw the look in her eyes and smiled. She hesitantly smiled back.

"Is this the new you?" Amy asked jokingly. "I like it."

"You found him didn't you?" Rory asked, and when he saw her eyes light up, he hugged her. He was even more shocked when she hugged him back.

She stepped back, her eyes glowing. For one moment, Rory could see hope in those dark eyes that had seen so many horrible things.

"Rory," she said. "Amy. I want you two to be the last faces this face sees. Because I sure as hell may not of acted like it, but you two are the most precious things to happen to me in a very long time. I just want you to know that I love both of you very much. Don't forget that and tell your daughters, when they are born. Tell them about a girl who thought nothing of herself until she met a mad man in a blue box. Tell them that she saved the man from committing genocide. Tell them that she saved the said man from almost certain death. Tell them that she lived for a long time, protecting this universe from the billions of threats in the stars. Tell them that this is the story of Rose Tyler, and this is how it ends."

They were alone when Martha remembered what she had to do. Taking a deep breath, she kicked him in the shins. She laughed as his head hit the console.

"Oi! Martha Jones! What was that for!?" The Doctor exclaimed.

She sat down on the pilot seat and he gulped, it was something that _she _used to do. She smiled down at him.

"I just remembered, I have something rather important to tell you," she said. "But I can't do so while you're under that _thing._" Knowing she had chosen the right word, she laughed as he shot out from under the console.

"Well go on then," he murmured. "You can't just leave me hanging and insult me in the same sentence."

She smiled cheekily. "While you were being a useless human," she began while ignoring his protests. "I received a call from this woman on the monitor, and she left you a message."

Trying not to get his hopes up, he pressed his tongue to his teeth. "Really, what sort of message?" he attempted to ask casually.

She smiled. "The woman said two words."

He gulped, and she could see that he was desperately trying to crush all thoughts of hope. It was a pity really. "What were the two words Martha?"

She breathed in. "_Valiant Child._"

He exhaled, and even though he wasn't expecting those exact two words, he felt his hopes soar. _Rose. _ If she somehow managed to get a message through… he refocused when he realized that Martha was still speaking.

"…told me to play this," she finished. She handed him a CD, and he put it into the radio.

_Well I've rolled about this earth with just a suitcase in my hand… _

He choked out a sob when the song played, and he could barely register Martha's hand on his shoulder.

_So reel me in my precious girl come on take me home 'cause my body's tired of traveling and my heart don't wish to roam. _

He immediately set the track for Bad Wolf Bay. He would wait an eternity if he had to, and anyone who even tried to get in his way would feel the entire wrath of the Oncoming Storm.

_But of all the strange, strange creatures in the air, and sea on land, my girl, my girl, my precious girl I love you, you understand. _

** As this is the first novella (yes, I call multi-chaps novellas) that I am publishing on this site, I need to lay down the ground rules. For one thing, I do not own Doctor Who or any of the characters used in this story. Any references, lyrics, or quotes used in this story are not mine either. This disclaimer runs for the entire story. Second, I normally update on Fridays and Saturdays but not necessarily weekly. It all depends on when I can reach a computer as I am preoccupied most of the time. Third, I do not have a beta, nor do I aspire to having one. All mistakes are mine, and mine only. The last thing I would like to address is reviews. Reviews are welcome, and so is constructive criticism, just no flames please. Thank you for reading, and I will have the next chapter up as soon as possible, in the famed words of David Tennant, **_**Allons-y!**_


	2. Chapter 2

He had been waiting for seventeen hours, thirty-two minutes and fifty-three seconds when the man appeared. He had to remind himself that the beach was public, and that it wasn't just his.

Still, it stung. He didn't want anyone on this beach, the last place he had seen her standing. Especially when that was where the man stood. He growled, and Martha gripped his hand.

Martha was probably the only thing saving him from turning down a dark path. She had been great. He knew that she held feelings for him from the beginning, and even though he knew, he really needed someone to hold his hand. It had been a risk taking her in, but he didn't regret it.

He was surprised actually, at how well she was doing. It seemed that she had let go of her feelings. He wasn't sure what shocked him more, the fact that she was talking to him without that look of love in her eyes, or the man.

He's pretty sure it's the man though. He wants to run over to him, and maul him for standing where _she _stood, but he knew that it wouldn't solve any problems. Just create more.

She had made him a pacifist, and that's what he was going to do. Keep the peace. She would kill him when she came back and found out that he had been jailed at her expense.

He had been holding in The Oncoming Storm for a really long time, he figured that he could hold it in just a little bit longer.

~(~

She was shocked that the pair had wanted to accompany her. She was sure that Amy and Rory would of wanted to stay behind, prepare themselves for their new arrivals. In the words of her mother, childbirth is a bitch, and she wanted Amy to rest, truly.

When they said that they were coming, she almost told them to stay behind, but decided against it. No one wants an angry, hormonal, ginger.

She rolled her eyes when they brought her packed bags in, and sighed. She was perfectly capable of doing that herself. They seemed happy though, and she didn't want to ruin that innocence. She hadn't felt that emotion in a couple centuries.

She really hoped that he would still want her.

She wasn't the same Rose Tyler that captured his hearts all those years ago. She was darker, sadder, and much, _much, _madder.

She wasn't the Rose Tyler who flinched when someone brought a hand near her, this version of the girl, this _Thantos Woman, _was used to the pain her adventures brought her. Some people called her suicidal, when she admitted that she like it.

It was part of her job description, she mused. The pain. Not every mission could go 100% scathe free. She's only had a six of those in her long lifetime. Six was still a rather large number.

This Rose Tyler was covered in scars, and though a lot of them may have been visible, most of them were hidden. Not scars of the body, but scars of the mind.

The mind is a serious weapon, she decided as she threw her duffle bag over her shoulder. A weapon that with as much experience as she had could do much worse things than any lethal object could ever do.

~(~

Thirty-six hours had passed, and he was still sitting on the beach.

So was the man.

Through the telescope, The Doctor decreed that the man had brought a tent, so that he could spend the night on the wretched beach.

It was almost as if he was missing someone too.

He reached out his right hand, waggling his fingers for Martha to take it, but instead of warm flesh grasping his fingers, all he felt was air. He swiftly dropped his hand, and sighed. He had forgotten that Martha had gone to the kitchen to make tea.

He sighed again as it started to rain, but made no movement to get inside. He'd just have to be alone for a little while again, not that it bothered him; he had been alone for quite some time after all.

Smiling, he raised his head to the heavens.

~(~

The three were in the jeep when she saw it, and she wasn't quite sure that she had seen anything at all. After all, she was sleep deprived. Normally her lack of sleep did nothing to her superb senses, it sometimes even heightened them. Still, she couldn't quite believe her eyes.

The flash of green that had appeared on the horizon when the sun was setting unnerved her, and she blinked. It was gone. Whipping her head to the side, she looked at Rory.

"Did you see that?"

His eyebrows furrowed, and he continued to glance at the road, cautious to not hit any other cars. Luckily for him, not many people lived in that part of Norway.

"See what?"

In the back, Amy snorted. She was lounged across the back seats, and her bulging middle took up most of the blanket that was sprawled over her.

"Oh come on, you didn't see that?"

Rose's head whipped around so violently Amy was sure that it was going to fall off.

"You saw it too?"

Amy's eyebrows raised in confusion. "Of course! How could you _not _see the green light flashing in the sky?" She shifted her position. "It kind of reminded me of Christmas actually."

Rory ignored his wife's comment, and his eyes shifted towards Rose.

"What do you think it means?"

The tone of his voice sent shivers down her spine, the action reminded her that she had no clue what species she was, but she still looked human. She was not an all-powerful goddess, no matter how much she tried to convince herself otherwise.

"I… I'm not sure."

Rory was sure that he had never felt more scared in his life.

~(~

Had the rain not of lightened, he would not of seen the green flash.

"Martha!"

He was vaguely aware of the sound of china crashing when the door was flung open.

"What is it?" she asked. "Are you hurt?"

He laughed, a strange, wicked laugh.

"Quite the opposite really."

Her expression contorted into one of puzzlement. "What do you mean?" she asked slowly.

"_Martha!" _he explained, standing up from where he sat on the sand. Running towards her, he pulled her from the doorway, and crushed her small frame against his.

_"Martha Jones!"_

He was laughing now, twirling the said girl around as the pair danced across the beach.

_"Doctor!" _she cried through her laughter, trying to keep a serious expression. If she knew better, she would of called it impossible. It wasn't impossible, she decided, just excruciatingly hard.

They danced for the next hour, and even though there was no music playing, it was the most intimate dance Martha had ever partaken in. She can't help but feel jealous of Rose.

He twirled her and she internally screamed at herself. She had decided to rid herself of the jealousy she felt four months ago, she didn't want it to spike up now. Not when the pair was so close to finding her again.

She sighed as he let go of her hand, and as she made her way to the TARDIS she missed the man on the other side of the bare beach move.

The Doctor missed it too.

~(~

Rose didn't realize something was wrong with their surroundings until they were twenty miles out.

She kicked the dash for not realizing it sooner. There had been differences in the area in the past few hours anyway. There were fewer cars. Sure there were few cars to begin with, but at least there was one passing every five minutes or so. Now the company would be lucky to see one pass at all.

Then of course, there was the humming. She could recognize that humming anywhere. It meant that the TARDIS was close.

Rory turned the car rather suddenly, and a wicked grin planted it's self on her face. She was going to see her Doctor soon.

~(~

The Doctor almost didn't register the jeep as it pulled up along the side of the beach.

In his defense he was tired, and not wanting to face white walls, screams, and words left unsaid, he vetoed the entire concept of sleep.

Martha still chides him on that decision.

Looking back on it, he's cross as well. Maybe if he had gotten enough sleep, things would of wound up differently. Maybe she wouldn't be as scarred.

"_Martha!" _he calls again, and this time there's no shattered glass following his plea. She knows who she is going to see when she exits the safety of the alien ship, and god be damned if she wasn't excited.

It was a shame really; she didn't realize how much she needed a friend until the entire situation began. During her alone time on the TARDIS, Martha found all sorts of trinkets in the rooms she visited the most. Photos. Videos. Recordings.

Rose seemed amazing, and she wanted, no, _needed _for the girl to like her. The Doctor had told her that this was how Rose worked. She captivated people's hearts and souls, making them want to know her. She saw the genuine good in creatures and guided the war-torn Time Lord in his darkest hours. Some planets had even referred to her as their only light in the darkness.

When the Time Lord called, she did not run to the woman, she fled.

~(~

When Rory parked the car, Rose didn't even bother to wait for her nephew and his wife. She took off running across the dark sand, abandoning her trainers as it became harder for her to move.

The man in the trench coat bolted towards her, and she praised whatever was watching over them at that moment that he hadn't regenerated. She's not sure what she would of done if he had.

It seemed like eons before he was in her reach, and when he crushed her to his chest she let out a muffled sob.

The concept of crying was foreign to her; she hadn't shed a tear in decades. It was like she had forgotten how to be human.

She was too busy illuminating in his embrace to realize that he was looking her over properly. She had assumed that he would check her for injuries when they got back on the ship, and was already preparing for all of the needles. It wasn't like she wasn't used to the poking and prodding after all, Torchwood had been a little nervous at first when they discovered that she didn't seem to age.

He could see the scars that lined her arms through the thin material that was her turtleneck. His eyes narrowed, and he began to press kisses to her forehead and her hair, nearly moaning whilst relishing the taste that was so undeniably her.

_"Rose Tyler," _he whispered, and somehow the words sent him over the edge. He had wanted to do this alone, but now that she was here, not even a Time Lord as practiced as he could hold back the emotions.

He began to sob into her shoulder, and now it was she who was pressing the feather light kisses to his temples in a desperate attempt to comfort him in any way that she knew how.

She's not sure how long they stayed like that, but if there's one thing that she's sure of it's that they had an audience. She pressed her lips one more time to the side of his face before pulling away. He clutched onto her hand, and it would be an utter lie to say that she didn't reply with the same urgency.

She smiled at the threesome who had been watching the exchange. It was a real, proper smile, tongue in teeth and everything, and the beauty of his aunt nearly sent Rory in a tizzy. He smiled back at her, and let a few tears crawl down his face. It seems that was what the entire group had done today anyway.

" Oi! Raggedy Man!"

Rose looked over at Amy, her brow furrowed in confusion.

"Raggedy Man?"

Amy's eyes narrowed in defense. "What he does look kind of raggedy."

Rose laughed as The Doctor finally caught onto the Scottish girl's insult. "I'll have you know," he fired back. "That not even a man half as clever as me could pull this look off."

Amy snorted. "Whatever you say sandshoes."

"Oi!"

"Raggedy Man can you please explain what the hell is going on?"

~(~

The man across the beach had moved.

He was watching the group of people interact, and he knew that he was going to have to try this time around. Not many people were as clever as he was, but if he was a betting man, and how should he know after all this was a brand new regeneration, he would bet that the five creatures standing on the opposite side of the beach way more clever than they were letting on.

He smiled. It felt weird with his new teeth, but with the much younger body he couldn't help but slide his tongue in between his teeth like the girl had done.

The girl was intriguing. After all these years of planning, he had finally found The Doctor's weakness. He had a plan, but if he were going to execute it, he would have to be very careful. This was Thantos Woman that he was dealing with.

With a cunning grin, the man lowered his hood, and stepped into the tent.


	3. Chapter 3

Now that The Doctor thought about it, he wasn't entirely sure why he had let the company enter his TARDIS. He didn't mind Rose and Martha of course, nor did he mind the nose, but the belly, she seemed a little too fiery for his liking.

He had never been this kind in any of his previous bodies, and even though he was rather rude, Rose had given him plenty of lessons on how to be friendlier. Which was good, seeing as he needed all the help he could get and he didn't mind spending hours alone with her.

He smiled as the blond that was clinging to his hand crossed his mind and he wrapped an arm around her blinked several times while scanning the room, finally realizing the discomfort he was brining to the occupants of said room.

Rose nudged him with her elbow and he cleared his throat. "Right then, I'm The…"

"Oh we bloody well know who you are," the belly growled. She stepped forward and slapped him across the face, the move would of made any Tyler proud. "Why would you do that? Especially to her!"

The belly stormed over to Rose, and grabbed her arm, dragging her over towards the nose. "You don't even get to touch her!" she roared. "The Doctor, a name that heals, but what does he do? Oh, he destroys. Look at her, just look at her."

Wincing, The Doctor had no choice but to comply to her wishes. He prided himself on noticing every detail, and he could not believe how much he had missed when it came to his beloved.

She was much thinner, he realized, and how he didn't notice it when he was hugging her stumped him, but that was beside the point. He scanned his brain for a list of eating disorders, but could fine none that would suit her. Or maybe it was because he couldn't imagine his gorgeous Rose doing something like that to her body.

She was wearing a scarf, and at first he thought it was just a fashion accessory like how most females her age wore them, but now he would bet ten quid that there was bruises lining his precious girl's neck…

"Stop it!" Her voice broke through his analyzing. "Amelia Pond just stop it!"

He was surprised that the belly's name was Amelia, he associated it with being the name of a great person, and he decided that he would analyze Amelia Pond further when he had more time.

"You of all people should know better," she said, and The Doctor was forced to make another revelation. Her actions, mannerisms, her complexion…. he realized that he had seen this face before, he saw it every time he looked in the mirror. She hid behind a mask too. This was not the Rose Tyler he remembered and he wondered what had happened to that girl in such a short period.

His answer unfortunately came with the next statement.

"Aunt Rose," the nose began. "Would you mind continuing with the introductions?" He shifted uncomfortably and Rose nodded in sympathy.

"Of course sweetheart." She kissed his forehead, and moved away to sit on the pilot's chair.

"Doctor, this is my nephew Rory Williams, and his wife Amy."

He contemplated the husband and wife for a moment before turning towards Amy. "Your name was Amelia Pond and you changed it to Amy Williams?" he asked incredulously.

"Aunt Rose he is _so _thick, It's called marriage Raggedy Man, why don't you try it sometime?"

Both he and Rose winced at the comment, and he cleared his throat to get the attention off of him. He looked over to smile at Martha, and felt so bad for the poor girl, she did not have a clue as to what was going on.

"This brave girl over here," he began, grabbing Martha's arm. "Is my companion Martha Jones, oh Rose you are going to love her! She is so clever, we ran into Shakespeare once, and the Caronites, you should of seen her, Shakespeare even fancied her! Anyway—"

"I think that's enough, Doctor," Martha cut in quietly, looking at the other members of the room. She was surprised to find Rose looking at her in admiration, and she knew then and there, that she needed to have the approval of the woman in front of her.

"Of course, you're Mickey's wife!" Rose seemed very pleased with herself and smiled.

"Aunt Rose…" Rory began but was quickly cut off.

"No, no, no I got this Rory, don't cut me off. Mickey came back after we figured out the whole green flash thing, it like went back in time to the day before we figured out he disappeared oh Rory can't you remember? Their wedding was gorgeous and the officiator was so funny, it was a great way to pass the tine! You were there too, so was Amy and little…"

"She's done it again," Rory cut in before his aunt could reveal the sex of his unborn child. "She's got all her tenses mixed up. Aunt Rose, that hasn't happened yet, you're giving Martha one hell of a shock, stop it."

It was right about then that The Doctor once more actively became part of the conversation. "Rory, did you say again? As in this happening multiple times beforehand."

Rory looked at him as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Of course it does, it's rather often that she tries to tell us the name of our baby, I'm actually shocked that the name hasn't slipped yet, she has quite the gob."

The Doctor's eyebrows raised. "Often?" he squeaked. He was trying not to let the hope that was beginning to pump throughout his veins get a hold of him, but the thought that maybe something had changed when she had held the time vortex inside her began to excite parts of himself that he believed long dead.

Rory nodded slowly, and Amy snorted. "The first time I met her, she reminded me of a folk from the loony bin, but after a couple of dinners I figured out the whole history of Rory's family and all about how they have this crazy aunt who just refuses to die and I thought, maybe this one isn't that bad." She continued on but The Doctor was anything but paying attention.

_Refuses to die? _His eyes loomed over at Rose and he walked over to her, grabbing her hand to tuck her around his arm.

"Oi! Raggedy Man, that was rather rude, leaving me here to babble on like a mindless fool," Amy called.

Rose glared at the girl, a look that he had never seen before storming across her face. To his surprise and utter horror, Amy immediately backed off, her eyes becoming more guarded as she swallowed the lump that was rising in her throat.

"I'm going to take her to the medbay, there are somethings that I want to have checked before we continue conversations any further."

Rose looked up at him, a definite frown caressing her features. "No we're not," she said in a tone so curt he couldn't help but flinch.

"Wha- What do you mean no?"

Her eyes stared at him intensely and he could feel the power flooding from them. "I want to see Jack first."

He blinked, "But Rose, love we have to—"

"No, I want to see Jack and that's final so walk up to the console, punch in the coordinates, and Allons-y! We're there. And if you don't want to, I could always use my vortex manipulator."

He didn't bother to ask where she had gotten a hold of one, though Torchwood seemed like the right answer, and he began to race around the console, desperate to keep her with him at all times.

"We have to check Amy and Rory first, just to make sure that they don't have counterparts living on this side of the void at that certain time period, hold up."

He began to run the names through the monitor, but Amy interrupted.

"I already did."

He blinked, as if not completely understanding what she was saying. "How?"

She shrugged. "It was quite simple really, all I had to do was watch Flowers over here go all starry eyed and I knew when we had reached the other universe. Amelia Pond was a model for a short period of time, lived in Leadworth, small town, that's where we were born too. Known for disappearing for traveling, and disappeared in 2012, last known location was Manhattan. There was also an Amelia Williams and Rory Williams who lived in the mid 1900's," she added for good measure.

"Were they ever found?" The Doctor asked, curiosity evident in his voice more than sympathy.

"No," Amy said quietly, and when she did The Doctor was forced to believe that the woman actually felt other emotions.

"2014 seems like a good cushion from when they disappeared, and I feel like we should drop the two of you off in Cardiff, this way you're close to Jack and the rift so Rose and I can visit regularly, as the TARDIS also needs to refuel every once in a while. More like once every century or so, but we could come in your time stream to visit so it would feel like once a decade."

He yelped when Rose stomped on his foot. "Rude," she muttered. He smiled. Maybe she wasn't as gone as he originally thought.

~(~

The Master was impatient. He was waiting for the fools to come out of their haven, for The Wolf to emerge. The things that he could do to her.

He could use her power as a source to grow a TARDIS, _she could become his TARDIS. _

He smiled as the blue police box appeared outside of Torchwood 3, if he was who he claimed to be, and boy he was, then she wouldn't even make it the few hundred yards between the box and her destination.

Smiling, he put his plan into action.

~(~

**I'm so sorry about the delay, from now on the updates should be weekly. I'd also like to take the time to thank those who have reviewed, favorited, and followed. Your kind words and actions mean a great deal, so thank you. Please review xoxo**


	4. Chapter 4

Here we are then!" The Doctor's voice cut through her thoughts and she smiled. She wanted to have a proper reunion with the alien that had captured her heart so long ago, but other more important matters needed to be attended to before they could have a shot at a fairytale ending.

"21st Century Cardiff, May 13th 2014, From my records, nothing important happens on this day, well that's not true, Rose Tyler, Defender of The Earth reunites with Captain Jack Harkness and Amelia and Rory Williams find a home."

He grabbed her waist and spun her around. "Oh Rose Tyler I like this day."

She laughed a hearty laugh and untangled herself from his grasp, opting for his hand instead. "Come on, I promised the man that I'd visit him more often when I got back."

He paused. "You've talked to him since Bad Wolf Bay?"

She bit her lip in guilt, and a timid smile crossed her face. "He visited me a couple times yeah, said it was something 'bout his vortex manipulator? He brought another one for me the last time he visited with a promise to only use it if I was in intimate danger, and I really wanted to use it, but then Rory was born and his parents died and I felt responsible, ya know? So I stayed and by the time Martha called I had other matters on my mind."

He narrowed his eyes slightly, this was not his Rose. She would never forget details like that, and she most definitely would not push them aside, even if it was for family. She may still be compassionate but there was still something off, something that she wasn't bothering to tell.

"I can't believe he didn't try to contact me." The Doctor said, his voice full of hurt.

"He's still pissed at you," she replied, and her face hardened. "I am too. How dare you leave me without contact from him! We're going to have a row when I get back mister."

She dropped his hand, the action causing him to wince with pain. "And don't do any of that, 'but it was for your own protection Rose!' Because if you haven't noticed I sure as hell can take care of myself. I'm disappointed in you Doctor, I really am."

She inhaled swiftly, and moved towards the door. "As your punishment," she continued. "I am sentencing you to a day full of domestic activities with Amy and Rory! I thought that it would be fun for those two and Martha to have a day alone together but seeing that you're unable to act maturely, I believe that you are going to love helping Martha find them a house." She smiled wickedly. "I'll be back late, and don't worry Doctor, _Jack and I are going to have one hell of a night."_ She snickered as she walked out of the door, slamming it behind her.

"Oh my god," Rory said, flabbergast. "My aunt is a total hellcat. Oh my god."

Amy and Martha began to laugh at the two men. One sat in shock and the other in a jealous rage.

Amy smirked as The Doctor gulped. "Right then Raggedy Man, let's go find me a house, _Allons-y!" _

His face contorted into one of disgust. "I hate you."

Amy didn't even bat an eyelash. "No you don't, besides this relationship has just gotten started and the key to a good relationship is to do what the woman says." She grinned cheekily and he pushed the doors open.

Rolling his eyes, he exclaimed, "Allons-y!"

~(~

On her way to Torchwood Three, Rose realized that she was beginning to feel a bit lighter than usual. At first her superior brain calculated that the gravity was much stronger on the parallel Earth then on this Earth, and for about two minutes she allowed herself to believe that. After another three minutes however, she began to doubt that it was the gravity.

She wanted to pause and scan the surrounding area, but she new that nothing looked more suspicious than a trance figure with a different accent stopping in the middle of a city. She settled for walking at a brisker pace in hope that whatever was following her would disappear sooner or later.

It didn't.

She could see one of the multiple entrances to Torchwood Three when she felt every atom of her existence begin to disappear. She took off at a swift pace, aiming for the building in order to be in range of the security cameras.

"No!" she screamed as she disappeared. She had only been five paces away from the range of the cameras.

~(~

It was dark when she came to. So dark in fact, that for the longest time she did not believe that she had come to at all. Though she doubted that the drumming would of followed her into the realm of sleep.

_tap-tap-tap-tap_

Rubbing her eyes groggily, she looked towards the slowly growing light in anticipation. The human side of her was starting to get rather nervous, but the alien part of her reminded her to be rational. Whoever was coming was most likely not her kidnapper, they probably would of hired someone to watch her in turn for them as she was known for her anger issues. Once in a very limited while it actually paid for your name to be Thantos Woman.

Deciding that this newcomer was not going to rattle her, she put her facade into gear. Whoever the hell this person was, they were not going to crack her.

"My name is Rose Tyler," she muttered to herself. "_And I will not be afraid."_

~(~

"I liked the fourth one we looked at," Amy said while casually throwing a chip in her mouth. "That one had a gorgeous garden."

"That one was slightly over our budget, dear," Rory reminded her.

"You two don't have a budget," Martha added. The couple's heads snapped towards her.

"Thanks for rubbing it in."

Martha shook her head and finished chewing. "I meant that The Doctor is supposed to pay for whatever you want, part of his punishment from Rose."

Amy's eyes narrowed in disbelief. "The Doctor has money?"

"Oi!"

In Martha, Amy, and Rory's books, the day had gone surprisingly well. Martha had booked them several houses to look at, and for once she felt like she was doing something productive with her life, not that traveling with The Doctor and saving the world every day wasn't productive enough.

In all honesty, Martha did miss the real world. She missed not going to class to accomplish a dream, she missed having her morning coffee on the terrace of her flat overlooking London. The TARDIS was anyone's dream, but she was beginning to get tired of all the running. As a doctor in training herself, she knew that it was certainly unhealthy to continuously live a life like this. At first she thought that there was no hope for someone that far gone, but then Rose came back, and honestly she hoped that the girl would heal him even more.

The only thing Martha was missing was that Rose was one of the main reasons he was so broken to begin with.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, The Doctor was not enjoying himself at all.

For one, he had given up the woman he loved again, although at least this time she was coming back, he hoped. The other thing was that Martha and Amy were constantly making fun of him.

He was rudely brought forth from his thoughts by the latter.

"So, I still feel a wee bit confused, Raggedy Man what was with the green light?"

Martha frowned. "What green light, exactly?"

Jumping as if he was woken from a trance, The Doctor began to speak. "The green flash, oh I like that humans and their naming processes. Anyways, the flash contains multiple properties that were originated in The Medusa Cascade. Martha what can you tell me about the Medusa Cascade?"

Surprisingly, it was Rory that answered. "It's a space-time rift? Isn't it?"

The Doctor blinked. "Yes, yes it is, now the idea of the green flash captivated many of the scientists on Gallifrey. If the green flash was ever to be engineered, then travel between parallel worlds would be possible."

He reached across the table to grab four unused straws. "So the universe we're in is considered the main verse. Gallifrey being the indication of it."

Seeing the confused looks on his company's faces he began to dive deeper into the subject.

"Gallifrey houses many unexplainable beings. There was a legend on Gallifrey that when the fates crafted this universe the used the planet as the epicenter of the main verse, and that every decision ever made on Gallifrey would create parallel universes and destroy them. After Gallifrey was lost, the decisions breached out to the rest of the worlds in this universe."

Laying the straws on the table he placed two near each other with a small gap in-between them. He did the same with the other two, but provided a much bigger gap in-between the two sets of straws.

"The straws with the small gaps in-between them represent two different universes. The gap in-between represents the void."

Martha's brow furrowed. "What's the void?"

"The dark space. Some people call it hell," Amy said whilst picking dirt from her fingernails. "It's how he lost Aunt Rose."

Amy's words awoke a sense inside him, and his eyes began to dart wildly. It was getting awful late, and she had said she'd be back…

Frowning, he flagged down the waitress. "I'll take the check please."

She nodded and went into the kitchen. Sighing, he began to tap his fingers on the table. _tap-tap-tap-tap_

_tap-tap-tap-tap_

He paused, deep in thought. Hadn't he heard that rhythm before?

Shrugging it off, a voice in the back of his head, one that sounded remarkably like her's, warned him, _never ignore a coincidence. _

Suddenly standing up, he glared at the three laughing humans wildly.

Martha immediately sobered up. "What's wrong?" she asked, her voice full of concern.

"We need to leave, now."

Amy looked at him as if he was crazy. "Raggedy Man, we haven't even paid the check yet."

"If you want to, you can, now come on I have a bad feeling about this," he growled.

Amy's eyes widened, and dropping a fifty dollar bill on the table, she grabbed Rory's hand.

"Let's go now, Geronimo," she supplied.

"Geronimo?"

"Yes! Now are we leaving or not?"

~(~

When they got back to the TARDIS, he immediately phoned Jack.

He sighed in relief when Jack picked up. "Jack-"

"Oh look what the tide brought in, _The Oncoming Storm," _he spat.

"Jack…" he began again.

"I am thoroughly pissed at you pretty boy I'll have you know."

"Where's Rose?" he shouted into the phone.

"I don't know," he responded, puzzled. "Why was she supposed to be here? Doctor?"

"Meet me outside The TARDIS in fifteen minutes."

He hung up, looking towards the company.

"What do we do now?" Amy asked.

"Whatever we have to," The Doctor replied, his eyes fixed on the figure sprinting towards him.

He sighed. "Let the games begin," he mumbled.


	5. Chapter 5

If Rose was entirely honest with herself, she was scared out of her mind when the figure approached her, his face finally appearing in the light. She had been reminding herself that fear was irrational at this point and that she wasn't going to get anywhere if the emotion consumed her actions. Too late for that, she figured, and sighed as the rest of the man's face appeared in the limited amount of light.

The first thought that crossed her mind was that he was ugly. His face could of been handsome, had a wicked and troubled grin not been present on it. His eyes reminded her of The Doctor's and of her own, actually more her own rather than The Doctor's. They had a mad essence to them, which reminded her of her's sometimes when she glanced in the mirror for just a second too long.

_Some became inspired, some ran away, and some… some went mad. _

She was quite unsure where the voice in her head was coming from, it sounded surprisingly like her own, which scared her the most.

"He's trying to trick you," she told herself quietly. "He's a telepath, they do that."

_"__You went mad." _

Her head snapped up towards him, her eyes betraying the calmness she was pretending to feel. "What do you mean? Who are you?"

He stooped down to cup her face, his eyes smiling. "Oh my precious Trella, what has he done to you? _Your name means madness." _

She swallowed, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. "Who the hell are you?"

He smiled at her, and she was beginning to think that it was the wrong thing to say. "_You are tired, I think," _he spat, his voice dripping with venom. _"Of the always puzzle of living and doing; And so am I. Come with me, then, And we'll leave it far and far away — Only you and I, understand! You have played, I think, And broke toys you were fondest of, And are a little tired now; Tired of things that break, and— just tired. So am I." _

She smiled up at him, believing that she had beat him at his own game. "Those aren't your words," she said, her voice holding an edge to it that any previous version of her would not of believed that she had. "Those are E.E Cummings."

The way he grinned at her made her tremble. "Oh my dear Trella, _who do you think was his Master?"_

~(~

"Doctor, you're looking as attractive as ever," Jack heaved as he appeared in front of the foursome.

"Did you run here?" Amy asked, clearly impressed.

"Yes I did, Hello ladies, Captain Jack Harkness," he replied sticking out his arm for Amy and Martha to shake.

"Jack, no," The Doctor groaned.

"What?" He winked at Martha. "I'm just saying hello."

"I don't mind," Martha added whilst batting her eyelashes.

"For you, that's enough," Rory mumbled.

The Doctor's eyes lit up at a remarkable speed. "Oh Rory Williams I like you!"

Jack rolled his eyes. "And you say I flirt, actually no that's stupid don't comment on that. If we're looking to find Rose, I'm just telling you right now that in that parallel world she had the _hottest _secretary I've ever seen. What was her name? Danielle? Denise?"

"Dena?" Amy asked incredulously.

Jack snapped his fingers in reply. "Yes, that was it. Mhm, she was a hellcat in bed."

Rory coughed. "Sixty-four year old Dena? Aunt Rose's old secretary who retired two years ago?"

Jack's eyebrows raised. "Damn, Rose's family made nice babies, look what you're getting Doc."

"Oi! That's my husband you're flirting with there!" Amy piped up.

"Perfect! Threesome!"

The Doctor sighed. He was abut to make a speech when Martha spoke first, shocking him, seeing as she had been rather quiet during this whole ordeal.

"Shut it! Everyone! I can tell by The Doctor's eyes that he wants to say something, so quit acting like two year olds and let him say it!"

The Doctor nodded a silent thank you to Martha, and moved forward to speak. "Right then, now that I have everyone's attention I'd like to voice an observation I made at dinner this evening. Has anybody heard four taps?"

_tap-tap-tap-tap_

His head whipped over to Martha who then nodded. "Yeah, for quite a while now, you get used to it though."

His eyes narrowed. "How long exactly?"

Martha shrugged. "I don't know ever since Harold Saxon started running for prime minster maybe?"

"Harold Saxon? Who's he?"

"Oxford bloke, married to Lucy Saxon," Jack answered. "Known for extreme measures of kindness and is generally known as the people's candidate."

"I was going to vote for him," Martha mentioned suddenly. "Before I got whisked away into this flying circus."

The Doctor ignored her second comment, and he moved towards Martha. "Why were you going to vote for him? What characteristics seemed good to you?"

She shrugged. "I dunno, he just seemed, good, ya know? Like you needed him to be your ruler."

The Doctor's eyes widened. "The beats are a code, used so that everyone will vote for him, sort of like a message."

Jack nodded, "Like Bad Wolf?"

"Like Bad Wolf," The Doctor confirmed. "The question is is it sent out to everyone in the world, or just everyone in the country?"

Jack moved towards the door, holding it open for the company. "There's only one way to find out Doc."

"Allons-y?" Amy asked.

The Doctor smiled at her. "Allons-y," he replied. "I like that so much better than Geronimo."

Amy rolled her eyes. "They say that what you mock is what you become," she said pointedly.

"There is no way in hell that I'm ever going to say Geronimo."

Jack patted his head. "Just you wait and see Time Lord Victorious."

"Time Lord Victorious?"

"Oh shut it Amy."

~(~

"Why do you need me?" Rose asked, her voice trembling in fear.

He reached over to cup her face, her eyes widening as he did so. "Oh my sweet Trella, my mad little girl, you are going to be in all sorts of plans, just you wait and see."

"What I don't understand is why? Why me? Surely there's three billion other women out there you could traumatize, so why me then?"

"You are not made for the light," he sneered. "And so am I. We thrive off of the darkness, it feeds into our souls, and turns us into a much more knowledgable creature than one who never even touched a spec of the black. But you my darling Trella, you and I live in it, we embrace it like an old friend, and this is why I have taken you my sweet. With one it would be hard, no matter how mad he is, but with unleashing Thantos Woman, taking her back to the point of existence where she went mad so that she could see herself, the two creatures of the night will thrive."

"What do you mean exactly?"

"I think you know my Trella," he said with a smirk.

Frowning, she forced herself to sit up straighter. "Actually I really don't."

Surprised by the turn in her posture, her captor smiled at her. "You know of the green flash, I watched you from the beach. You were not surprised when it appeared."

She nodded. "I've encountered it a couple of times. It sent me to Gallifrey a couple times. I couldn't control when it would send me back."

Smirking, his eyes focused on her chin. "I plan to exploit the green flash, to make it bend to do my bidding and I will rule all of the realities and realms in the multiverse." Eyes shifting down to the swell of her chest that was cascading over her tight top, he spoke with a newfound longing. "And you will be my queen."

Her voice trembling, she forced her chin to stop moving as she spoke. "And one last thing, why do you call me Trella?"

He smirked at her. "Oh Trella I thought you were clever enough to stop playing this game my darling. Oh well then, _What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet."_

"You cannot steal other people's words like that!" she shouted.

"Oh Trella, that's want you don't understand, I own all of the words ever said, all of the days that have passed and the days that never came."

As he walked away, she strained to hear what the voice in her head was saying. It had gotten much louder since the man had begun to talk to her. When she figured it out, she wasn't quite sure why the words scared her as much as they did.

_"__On this day, in this place, The Doctor will fall. The man who talks, the man who reasons, the man who lies, will meet the perfect answer."_

Amy's voice channeled through her head, and the words made her cringe.

_"__They never can be afraid. And they can never, ever be—"_

_"__As I crossed the street I saw the thin guy, but he didn't see me. I guess that's how it began."_

_"__She had all of the Time Vortex in her head— you would think that there would be consequences."_

_"__Silence will fall when the question is asked." _

_"__I looked into the TARDIS and the TARDIS looked into me."_

_"__She can see everything that is, has, and will be. All that power and who knows what could happen." _

_"__She went mad Theta, she went so mad she turned herself into a wretched human." _

_"__She can never reemerge. The universe will destroy it's self if she does." _

_"__The time war wasn't caused by you Doctor, no it was because of her. She was remembering and so the universe sent the daleks, the creatures of hate to destroy her."_

With all the voices swirling through her head, the one she remembers the most, is her own.

_"__Never say never ever."_

~(~

**I apologize if this chapter confuses anyone, there's a lot going on and if you have any unanswered questions, which most likely you will, it will either be cleared up by the end of the story, or you can PM me. I also do not own the excerpt from the E. E. Cummings poem or the quote from William Shakespeare. Please review! xoxo**


	6. Chapter 6

She wasn't sure how she fell asleep exactly, seeing as she was a creature who needed limited sleep. She thinks thats why the light scared her as much as it did. As the light poured into her cell, she forced her eyelids open as her captor stepped into the room.

Her head was pounding, but she wasn't sure why. If she was totally honest with herself, she wasn't exactly sure if she was safe or not. Sure she felt safe, but since she had been trapped in Pete's world her senses heightened and she was able to sense a lot more than she ever had before.

She rubbed her eyes, and the man crouched down in front of her, taking her hand from her right eye and placing it in his.

"Where are we going?" she asked as he dragged her onto her feet.

"Thera my dear, I'm going to show you something beautiful, something so beautiful you will weep at it's awe." He sounded so convinced that she merely shrugged.

"Alright then dear, hurry up I haven't got all day."

She winced at her own words, even though she didn't know why. Dear sounded so wrong, but she couldn't put a finger on why.

Shrugging again, she grabbed her husband's arm and allowed herself to be pulled by him.

"Dear! I'm so sorry for being so dull, but could you remind me as to what my human name was again?" she asked.

He smiled wickedly, and she returned the smile.

"Lucy. Lucy Saxon."

~(~

"Doctor!"

His head snapped up from the book he was reading at Jack's voice.

"What? What is it? Did you find her?"

He shook his head solemnly. "No. But I did find these."

He threw a small file of paintings on the kitchen table. "It's a bunch of images that bare a striking resemblance to Rose. Some of them I pulled form Gallifreyan textbooks in the library and others from well, the side of the 7-11 around the corner."

The Doctor sighed as he put on his spectacles, opening the file for a closer look. Sipping his coffee, he frowned towards Jack. "What do you mean?"

Jack cleared his throat. "You know how I mentioned that The Master was known as Harold Saxon in this universe?"

The Doctor slowly nodded, gesturing for him to continue.

"I also mentioned another name, his wife Lucy. I'm so sorry Doctor—"

"She looks exactly like Rose."

Jack winced inwardly and ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "I thought he had her too, but then I saw the painting."

Reaching into the file, Jack moved the poster aside and pulled an elegant piece of parchment out. Laying it down, The Doctor was forced to look at it's design.

It was a painting he had seem many times before on his home world, but he had never seen the need to pay attention to it until now. The painting depicted a porcelain woman with blonde hair siting casually atop a ball of flames. Her eyes were that of a wolf's and his mouth widened at how familiar it all was.

"_Thantos Woman," _he breathed.

~(~

"Are you sure this is going to wow me darling?" Rose's voice was laced with amusement at her husband's antics, and she leaned into his side.

Her muscles were screaming at her to move away, that none of this was right and that this should of never happened. She elected to ignore the underlying feeling of wrongness and chose to use her brain instead.

_The brain can be easily manipulated, _a voice spoke in her head. _But the heart, that takes ambition. _

She swallowed the lump forming in her throat and plastered a smile on her face for her husband.

"Oh dearest, you will be _captivated _by what I am to show you."

Flipping a few switches The Master flashed her a maniac grin. The grin seemed so familiar and so wrong, but she couldn't put a finger on where she had seen it or why it was as wrong as it seemed.

"Show me the stars, dear!"

The Master ran around the console of his ship to grab her hand.

_"__Run," _he whispered.

She had to excuse herself so that she could wretch in the bathroom. nothing had ever felt more wrong to her in her entire life.

And Rose Tyler had lived for a very long time.

~(~  
"Who the hell is that?"

Jack nearly jumped as Amy appeared behind him and he turned around to face her.

"Where did you come from?" he asked, his eyes darting towards her swollen middle.

"Oi! I may be as big as Violet Beauregarde, but I have watched a lot of Sherlock Holmes in my day pretty boy, I know how to move around in the shadows."

"Violet, who exactly?"

Amy rolled her eyes. "You know, big blue girl from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory? Anyway enough of this nonsense I want to know who this Thantos Woman is."

"She's nobody," The Doctor deadpanned.

Amy stared at him whilst plopping herself in the chair next to him and throwing her legs upon the table.

"You want to try this again, Raggedy Man?"

~(~

"Where are we, exactly?" Rose asked as her grip tightened on The Master's hand.

"The constellation of Kasterborous," he answered smugly.

"But isn't that where Gallifrey was located, dear?"

He grinned at her, and had she not of been his wife she would of said it was a wicked grin. "Oh yes, darling."

"But I thought this area was time-locked, we shouldn't be here."

"Gallifrey was, The Oncoming Storm time-locked it, the shinning star of the seven systems. But we are not here for Gallifrey today, my pet, no we are here for the springs."

Shrugging off the usage of the word pet, Rose blinked at him. "What's in the springs, dear?"

"The memories of Gallifrey my darling, it was believed to be a legend but I have proof that it is not."

Rose slowly gazed at him with a newfound horror.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, my precious Thera, that Gallifrey will fall no more."

~(~

"Thantos Woman," The Doctor began, "is the one of the three deities worshiped by Gallifreyans."

"Oh I know this," Jack cut in. "The three were The Order of the Fates, Thantos Woman, and The Oncoming Storm."

"They looked towards _you_?" Amy asked in disgust.

The Doctor swiftly shook his head. "No, The Oncoming Storm was an ideal, but after a while the daleks started to mistake me for the common deity and well, here I am."

Amy continued to shake her head.

"The Order wasn't one deity, it was an order of deities, but that's not relevant. Anyhow, Time Lords didn't believe in any of them, except for Thantos Woman. She is, plain bad news. They said she would appear in times of peace and within months of her departure chaos would fall upon the planet. She was real, we knew that much. She would appear whenever Gallifrey was in immense danger, and when she did the high officials would do whatever to make her happy. When she appeared before the Time War, Romona herself housed her."

The Doctor shifted so that he was just facing Jack. "She looks like Rose, Jack. I don't even know why I never made the connection before, it was so obvious."

Jack raised his left eyebrow. "You're saying Rose Tyler is the most destructive force this universe has ever seen?"

"No, I'm saying that Rose Tyler is the most destructive force the multiverse has ever seen."

Amy grimaced. "So, what do we do?"

The Doctor sighed. "We prepare for the worst, and we get her back."

~(~

The Master pulled Rose towards the spring.

"What are you doing?" her voice was full of panic, and she felt like a switch flipped in her mind.

"Get off me!"

"Oh Thera, I thought we got rid of you? Lover one moment, prisoner the next."

He grinned cunningly at her. "I guess we'll have to give you more time in the machine after all."

"Machine?" she asked. Faster than the speed of light, new images slammed her as she remembered the trauma he had put her through.

"That machinery is illegal in most star systems, where the hell did you get it?"

"I have my ways. Now prepare yourself for the forgotten memories of your childhood dear, I had to take you from your precious mother when you were eight years old, don't worry, I gave you back."

"What do you mean?"

The Master roared with laughter. "I created you! Rose Tyler! You have become like me!"

She shook her head.

"No," she whimpered.

The Master thrust her head into the clear pool below.

~(~

"Martha?"

Sitting down her bowl of popcorn, Martha paused the telly before turning towards the doorway.

"Yes, Rory, was it?"

Rory nodded and proceeded to stand awkwardly at the door.

"Can I join you?"

Martha moved over on the sofa to clear him a spot.  
"Sure."

Rory sat down next to her, and grabbed a piece of popcorn from her bowl.

"So, what are you watching? I don't think I've seen this on before."

Martha blushed. "Oh, it's Agents of SHIELD, it's from America, so that's probably why."

She paused. "And it also airs in 2013," she added.

"It looks good," Rory encouraged.

Martha smiled at him and proceeded to press the play button.

"So what are they doing exactly?"

"Triplett is dropping Coulson off so he can attack Garrett, Fitzsimmons are nearly dead at the bottom of the ocean, and Skye and May are about to storm the facility," Martha answered automatically.

Rory still looked confused.

"So is Triplett like their driver or something?"

Martha laughed. "No, he's just sort of along for the ride."

"Like us?" Rory asked.

Martha bit her lip. "I haven't thought of it like that, but yeah, we're sort of along for the ride aren't we?"

Rory nodded solemnly. "Yeah."

Martha patted his shoulder. "Tell you what Rory Williams, you stick with me, okay? You'll be fine if you stick with me."

Rory smiled at her, and she grinned right back at him.

"Why don't we start from the beginning, yeah? Then I won't be the only one on this damned spaceship who knows what the hell a Chitauri is."

Martha leaned forward and selected the Pilot.

"What about them? Won't they need us?"

Martha laughed. "Oh Rory you really have no clue, do you? He'll come to us if he needs us. He always does."

With that, The Martha Jones and Rory Williams marathons were born.

~(~

In the abandoned console room, four taps could be heard.

More accurately, four taps could be heard coming from the heart of the TARDIS.

~(~

**I felt like some Martha/Rory bonding time was needed so I included some here. Please review! xoxoxo**


	7. Chapter 7

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When she opened her eyes, Thera realized that she had been there before.

She was just a girl then, juggling the responsibilities of school and delivering things for her mum. When her dad died, she may have been a baby but it still affected her later life, she had to work from a young age in order to keep the estate. Her mum was in no position to do so.

Thera had been eight when she was picked up from school by the man. He had seemed kind enough, and she had let him drive her, even though her mum's warnings of strangers flared in the back of her mind.

Thera had always been a trusting person. It was in her nature to trust everything and to not believe that concepts she's so familiar with are lies. When he started driving the wrong way from the estate, she thought that it would turn out in her favor. She was never so wrong and right.

As she stared into the depths of the untempered schism, she saw the young, innocent girl that she had once been, the girl that drank up the knowledge of the multiverse, and held it firmly between her fingers.

But the knowledge was too much for a human mind. Her mind began to destroy it's self, every crevice that was so important to the human identity was ripped apart. Thera was strong, much too strong for her own good. Her biology began to change, each and every cell rewriting it's self for it to become one greater than the previous. Like her whole body was upgrading.

Her captor had seen this, and he did the one thing that he could do to ensure she kept her human identity, he brought her the drums.

She hadn't gone mad, she realized with defiance, he had made her. She wondered if had he not of sent the four beats into her brain, she would of became inspired. Or maybe she would have ran.

_Ran._

_Running._

Images of a man with a leather jacket and big ears flashed across her eyes. Brow wrinkling in confusion, she reached out to grab them.

_"__You were absolutely fantastic."_

Why was she sad? She shouldn't be sad, that man made her happy…

New images swirled about, this time of a man in a trench coat.

_"__If there's one thing, just one, I believe in her."_

She felt so many different emotions fling themselves about her mind, ones of hope, joy, and an overwhelming sensation of love.

She _loved _this man, she realized. She didn't even know his name and she loved him, so much more than any other person she had ever known. Except her mum of course. No one could replace the love she felt for Jackie Tyler.

_Tyler?_

_A Rose by any other name, would not smell as sweet. _

The trench coat man had said that once.

She had dreams sometimes, dreams of white walls, demons, tragedy, and words left unsaid. Sometimes she hears a figure yelling.

_"__Rose!"_

_"__Doctor! What was her name?"_

_"__Her name was Rose."_

Her name was certainly not Thera, it was Rose, she was Rose Tyler, Defender of The Earth and she sure as hell would not lose this battle.

She was going to find her Doc-

Before she could finish the thought, she felt a hand grab the back of her dress, yanking her out of the pool.

"Thera, my Thera," The Master cooed as she coughed.

"You naughty, naughty girl, you almost remembered. They warned me about you, when I was young. They told me you were strong, oh I should of listened, they will be mad."

"Who?" she called.

"Who will be?"

"The fates, my precious Thera, the fates."

~(~

"What's the plan of attack?"

Amy's voice carried throughout the room, a small frown appearing on her lips.

"I have a plan, attack," Martha mumbled, and Rory began to chuckle.

Amy raised her eyebrows at the pair. "What did you two become best friends overnight or something?"

Rory shrugged. "Something like that."

"Anyway," Jack began. "I think I found where The Master is hiding."

"Enlighten us."

Jack pulled out a table from his coat. "My team and I were scanning the skies, like we always do, and picked up an unregistered aircraft. The carrier Valiant should not be in the air at that point in time, we thought they might of just misread the schedule but when we scanned it for life signs, there were only two. The Valiant is known for having a large crew."

Martha frowned as she realized that The Doctor had slipped away.

"Jack, where's The Doctor?"

He shrugged. "Probably tinkering, this whole situation is really taking a tole on him. He told me the story of how they were separated. Martha Jones you deserve a medal. He really needed someone and you took the role. Rose will love you."

Martha blushed. "Can I go find him please?"

Jack gaped at her. "Martha Jones you are a grown woman you do not need me to tell you what to do."

She smirked. "Aye Aye Captain," she said, throwing him a mock salute.

"The cheek on that girl," he murmured as she strutted out the doorway.

"Doctor!" she called.

_"__Doctor!" _

She skipped into the console room, to find him positioned under the console.

"What are you doing? Jack is helping us devise a plan."

"Martha be quiet and listen carefully."

"Oi!"

"Martha!"

Reluctantly she silenced herself, and strained her ears.

_tap-tap-tap-tap_

"What, what is that noise?"

He grabbed her shoulders, forcing her eyes to stare into his. "You said it yourself earlier."

After a moment she frowned.

"Is it some sort of bomb?"

He shook his head.

"Think about what I told you Martha, about the message Rose left on that day at the game station."

"Bad Wolf," she said, dumbfounded.

"The taps spell out Bad Wolf?"

"No, Martha think. Really, really think."

She stared at him, her eyes widening with revelation.

"It's a message," she stated. "A message to lead us to her."

He grinned a maniac grin.

~(~

"Thera."

The voice woke her up, and she shot up in her cell.

"Thera," The Master cooed, his smile broadening.

"He's coming."

She wasn't exactly sure why she had said it, but she knew that it was important.

"I know."

She turned to face him. "He's coming for you, and when he gets here…"

"You won't stand a chance."

The Master laughed as he struck her.

~(~

**I'm so sorry about the wait on the chapters, school has gotten in the way, but I promise that there will be one next week! Please review xoxoxo.**


	8. Chapter 8

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When they landed, Martha swore something was off.

The gravity of the planet they arrived on was like an elephant sitting upon her back. She had been to different planets before and witnessed varying degrees of pressure but this was the worst.

"Why are we here?" she asked slowly, as if her breath was being ripped away. "Didn't Jack say that the Valiant is on Earth?"

Picking up a crystal, The Doctor turned his head to look at her with a small frown in the place of his usual plastered grins. "Yes it is, we're going back, I just needed to make a pit stop real quick."

Martha raised her eyebrows. "What for, mechanic man?"

"Oi!" He scowled at her, and she had to bite her lip to keep from giggling. "Not you too!"

"Amy started it," she said with a smug smile.

"At least her's are somewhat good!"

She laughed. Next to her, he picked up one more crystal before turning to face her.

"You ready to go?"

She nodded. "What are those even for?"

He shrugged. "There was a legend on Gallifrey that if you had Lupias crystals there was a chance that you could appease the captor of the wolf. I don't believe it of course, I'm just taking them in case they have another meaning I am ignorant to at the moment."

She chuckled. "Better to be prepared, I guess."

He nodded. "You guessed well."

As they started to walk, a small frown appeared on her face. "Doctor… you never really said, and yeah I met her and I can tell how much she means to you, but who was she?"

She fixed her eyes on his bobbing adams apple and watched his inner turmoil. She waited five and a half minutes for an answer, and when she got one, it wasn't what she expected.

"She was a nineteen-year-old shop girl who saved me."

It was silent on the way back to the TARDIS and when they reached the console room, she went off to find Rory.

"Rory?" she called.

"In here!"

Following the sound of his voice, she found him in the wardrobe.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Preparing." Her eyes glanced over his armor and she couldn't hold back the laugh that escaped her.

"Really?"

"I'm in a roman mood."

When Martha called Amy in, the two women bonded all over again.

~(~

"Rose!"

Whipping her head around, she stared at the man with a mixture of confusion on her face. Pausing, she opened her mouth in a slight "o" shape. "Why do you call me by this name? No one has called me by that for hundreds of years."

"Rose," the man urged, and she wasn't sure what he looked like as he seemed to be a blurred mess.

"Who are you?" she screamed.

"Rose you have to trust me—"

"_Who are you?" _

He sighed in defeat, and a glimmer of sadness appeared deep in her soul.

"Someone who lo- cares for you very much."

She bit her lip as if she was contemplating something. "You're him, aren't you. The Doctor. The Oncoming Storm. You're another incarnation, probably the one after this."

"Yes." His voice was barely beyond a whisper. "Rose, listen to me. None of this is real you have to get out while you can, the results will be traumatic otherwise, Rose get out."

Her posture rapidly became more ridged. "If it were fake, then why would you care?"

She couldn't see the man's face, but if she could the expression he would of worn was a heartbroken one. "Rose, I lost you. Here. I didn't get here in time, and I lost you. I spoke to a soothsayer and she said I could change the past, she said that I could save you. I'm warning you Rose Tyler, because if you don't have this in your mind, then god help my younger self."

He was beginning to fade, and her eyes widened in desperation. "Wait! You can't leave me here!"

"Oh, Rose Tyler." The man smiled. "I guess if I had one last chance to say it, Rose Tyler I love you."

He left her in tears, and when The Master woke her up the next morning, the dried tears stuck to her face.

"Why are you crying, girl?" he asked, venom pouring out of his voice.

"None of your business," she responded with an equal amount of venom.

He raised his eyebrows in a way that reminded her of _him. _"You are feisty today, my Thera." He grinned. "Don't worry, we'll take care of that."

He threw her a bucket, and she stared at it blankly.

"You know what to do."

Her eyes filled with fear, and she started to rapidly shake her head. "No… no… not again… please! I'll do what you want!"

He laughed at her. "You are a threat to me Rose Tyler and you must be controlled, once I have you under my control…" He grinned. "Well sweetheart you won't stand a chance."

She cried out as he struck her again and again.

"Go fill it up!" he bellowed.

As she trudged across the room, she left a trail of blood behind her.

"_Tick Tock goes the clock, he cradled her, he rocked her."_

~(~

"Have you found what you are looking for?"

Amy's voice revived him from his thoughts and he looked at the ginger on his left.

"Yes, yes."

"Well then, what are we waiting for?"

"You."

His response shocked her to her core and she scowled. "Do you want to elaborate on that?"

He shrugged. "Well, your baby should be coming any second now, and I'm so sorry Amy, I'm so, so sorry but I need to endure your labor."

Her face contorted into a look of discomfort. "What do you mean?"

"If we don't you'll have your child during our trip to get her back. I want Rose back, but we can't take the risk."

_"__Amy."_

She whipped her head around.

"Raggedy Man did you hear that?"

_"__Amelia Williams. Listen to me."_

She poked the man next to her, but he seemed to have gone still.

"What did you time lock this or something?" she murmured.

_"__Amelia I need you to listen." _

She raised her eyebrows in annoyance. "Alright weirdo I'm listening."

_"__I'm a future version of The Doctor. You need to listen to what I'm about to say very, very carefully." _

"Well won't you just go on then you're taking forever, Raggedy Man."

_"__You can't let him induce the labor, you need to remain pregnant. It's the only way you'll get her out alive."_

_"_What do you mean?"

_"__She's going to die Amelia Williams, she's going to die, you need to move beyond quickly in order to save her, and please save her my dearest Amelia."_

She stared at the heart broken man in front of her and reached an executive decision.

"I'll do it for you, Raggedy Man."

~(~

"Rose!"

Thera opened her eyes to see a woman, a sight she thought she would never see again.

"What… who are you? How did you get here? You need to get out!"

Her exclamations were in vain as she watched the woman flab her shoulder.

"I'm here to get you out."

Thera looked into her eyes. Her deep chocolate brown orbs spelled out truth, and for whatever reason Thera trusted her.

"What's your name?"

The woman smiled at her.

"The name's Clara, Clara Oswald."

"That's a pretty name," Thera said.

Clara bit her lip. "Thank you. If you want to live, we don't have much time. I know that you're one for smalltalk, but we don't have enough time for any of that."

Thera raised her eyebrows. "How did you know that?"

Clara winced. "I… don't know."

An awkward pause ensured, and she followed Clara as she began to navigate the halls of the complex.

"What is this place, anyway?" Thera asked.

Clara rubbed her temples. "It's a prison. I'm not exactly sure where it s, but the whole thing is threatening to collapse. I don't know why."

Thera nodded. "How did you get in?"

Clara frowned as if she couldn't remember. "It's… complicated."

In turn, Thera swallowed a frown. The woman screamed secrets and tragedy, but like all things a mystery, she captivated her. Thera needed to know more.

Clearing her throat, she attempted to restart the conversation.

"Where is this exit anyways?"

Clara shrugged. "You know The Lord of The Rings?"

"Yeah. The Doctor and I would watch them with me."

Clara laughed. "It's kind of like hiking from Rivendell to Mordor."

Thera scowled. "Really?"

"No, but it is on the other side of this complex."

Thera groaned.

~(~

**Please review! xoxoxo**


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